Though the number of crickets present on campus has declined over the past week due to rainy weather, many of the creatures can still be found hopping across classrooms and underfoot in parking lots. Many students and faculty members remain curious as to why there are so many crickets on campus.
“It’s a little unusual,” extension urban entomology specialist Blake Layton said concerning the vast number of crickets Mississippi State has seen this past month. “These are black field crickets. We have them every year; it’s normal to have them.”
Layton said the reason there are so many crickets is due to the dry weather we’ve been experiencing.
“We have big [cricket] populations following a dry year,” Layton said.
“It’s a normal cycle, but they are definitely at the high point of their population cycle.”
Crickets lay their eggs in the soil and due to the dry weather, rain has not been a risk factor in the survival of these eggs, which has caused the cricket population to flourish this year, he said.
“It’s a biological fact that populations of almost any organism fluctuates. There will be highs and lows,” Layton said.
“Sometimes it’s because of an absence of diseases or predators that help keep that population in control. It’s a response to really good environmental conditions.”
Layton said the cricket numbers were much higher six weeks ago.
“I was really anticipating a lot of calls that didn’t occur,” he said.
Bob Collins, director of the Student Medical Center, said that there are no health issues that he is aware of associated with crickets.
“No, they are not a health issue. There are just more of them this year than we normally see,” he said.
Layton said he doesn’t find the crickets to be bothersome.
“I told my little girl that I thought it was a sign to go fishing,” joked Layton.
However, some students find the cricket population peak to be a nuisance.
“They’re even in the laundry room,” freshman biological science major Kari Logan said. “This girl opened up the washer and like three or four fell out.”
The crickets are often found inside the buildings and residence halls, not just outside.
Layton explains that buildings tend to interrupt the crickets’ normal paths. They aren’t purposely trying to get into the buildings on campus, but are rather seeking a cool place or any kind of moisture they can find.
Andrew Milling, a pest management technician, said there have been a lot of complaints about the crickets.
“We usually have a flush of them every year,” Milling said. “Usually they come earlier than this though.”
The cricket problem seems to be particularly rampant among the new residence halls.
“You can’t walk around the North East Village withoutseeing crickets everywhere,” said Ben Craft, a residence hall assistant for Ruby Hall.
Craft, a sophomore chemical engineer major, describes the crickets as a nuisance. “It’s an infestation. There are thousands of them. I think something needs to be done about it.”
Chad Fischer, a freshman landscape architecture major and Hurst Hall resident, said his residence hall is having problems with the crickets as well. “I’ve had some in my room, at least ten since I’ve been here,” Fischer said.
Also, crickets are attracted to light, which explains the numerous amounts crowding the well-lit campus sidewalks and buildings at night.
However, there are certain steps one can take to keeping crickets out of houses and buildings.
“Most crickets are coming in at ground level,” Layton said. “Make sure there is a good sweep or seal on [the door] to keep the insects out.”